Joe Bendik rolled his eyes at the mention of a panic button.
“It’s two games in,” Bendik said Thursday. “By all means, we’re not happy with one point in two home games. Nobody is. But there’s no time to dwell on that. We’ve got a huge test in New York this weekend and a great opportunity to get three points.”
Even if they were two losses, two games into a 34-game season is far too early to sound the alarm. But they weren’t two losses, and more importantly, they weren’t two poor performances.
Instead they proved that City has depth like never before. Rookies Cam Lindley and Chris Mueller settled in nicely and showed their potential is quickly being realized. Amro Tarek came up with one timely tackle after another. Stéfano Pinho was cool under pressure. And Richie Laryea showed the savvy of a seasoned vet.
“We are really deep and there are going to be guys that are going to be left out of the roster every week,” midfielder Sacha Kljestan said. “The battle for spots is going to be tough and that’s just going to make us better as the year goes on.”
In both games, the Lions played the way head coach Jason Kreis wanted them to. They dominated possession, they were creative with the ball and showed a fighting spirit and togetherness. All that was missing was a touch of quality.
Finally available to deliver that quality is the MLS Assist King himself.
Though Kljestan’s presence on the pitch was certainly missed, his presence in the locker room was felt. After the Minnesota game, Kljestan, one of six designated leaders on the squad, voiced a message of calm and concentration.
“Don’t let one game deter us,” he said. “Don’t let one game change our focus or change our feeling about the team. I think we have a good team and we made a lot of effort in preseason to move this thing along. Let’s not take a step back now because of one bad loss. Let’s react to it and be better the next one.”
The Lions will get their chance Saturday against New York City FC on the narrow pitch at Yankee Stadium, where the Lions haven’t lost since 2015. They’ll face an NYCFC squad that’s 2-0-0 for the first time in its history in a game Kreis called a “terrific challenge for us at the moment.”
It’s an opportunity for the Lions to show their grit - something Kreis lauded about his team after D.C. It’s also an opportunity for City to measure itself on the road against a team that’s made the playoffs two years running.
A terrific challenge indeed.
“When you don’t get the results you want you don’t just put your head down and turn your back,” Bendik said. “It’s time to puff your chest and be confident about the team that we have. We have a great team.”
